Beer Review: Skol Super strong lager

AFTER trying super-high-strength Duvelale, Gold Labelbeer and Kcider, we’ve finally reached the first of the notorious tall cans of lager: Super Skol.

At the 9% volume, prominently displayed in the front roundel, this is the strongest brew I’ll have yet tested. But this is not unusual, with many lagers out there also 9%. The wording around the top of the logo reads “a very strong lager of the highest quality”. If it is as strong as I’m expecting, it better had be high quality. A strong and unpleasant drink wouldn’t be good.

Around the bottom of the circular logo is the name of the brewer. In this case Carlsberg UK Ltd. Not as well hidden as K, but still hidden enough to help distance themselves from this alcoholics choice of beverage. Also prominent at the bottom of the can are the instructions to “serve cool”.

On one of the two ‘sides’ that isn’t full of logo, we get some text and other information.

On this side, they tell us what to expect from the drink. And I must, say, it sounds very appetising indeed. And you would too, going by the mentions of “full bodied” and “fruity aroma”. All of which make this strong lager sound more like an ale.

On the other ‘side’ things are a little more boring. There’s the barcode. The Drink Aware website address, which, lets face it, is probably needed by the sort of people who buy this stuff. The Carlsberg web address and their Northampton address are also on there if you need to write them a letter.

The best thing about that ‘side’ of the can is the full list of ingredients. Most ingredients lists are mere summaries, so it’s good to see one that it a little more complete. This one mentions water, malted barley, syrup, hops, carbon dioxide and caramel. How many are noticeable we’ll find out soon enough.

Compared to K, I’m not such a fan of the Skol Super can. It’s messy with likes and colours everywhere. And the information is split between two ‘sides’ of the can. For me, K has set the standard for design of the tall cans of high-strength drink. And Super Skol doesn’t quite reach it. But that’s all secondary to what it’s like to drink. So here goes with the strongest lager I’ve ever tried…

Once in a glass, it was good to see a good thick head. Not that that will bother most drinkers of Super Skol. The colour also looks about right for lager. Nothing notable there. What about the smell? Nothing special there either. It smells faintly of barley and hops. But it’s barely noticeable.

Now the most important part. What does it taste like and how drinkable is it? A couple of gulps down and It’s not as bad as I expected. It really is fuller bodied than most lagers out there. Especially the cheap ones. The taste is still bitter and sour so if you can’t stand lager anyway, you’re not going to like this one. I’m not sure what to make of their promise of fruity aroma at this point. Or to put it another way, there doesn’t appear to be any fruitiness at all.

A few more gulps down, and I’m not enjoying this as much as K. Yes this is fairly drinkable. But it is rather gassy. And that aftertaste awful. Maybe that’s something lager drinkers get used to. But I’m not. And predictably, I’m beginning to think this is an unpleasant experience. It certainly is going to my head quickly however. And that is probably the point of Super Skol.

And there you have it. Super Skol is affordable and strong. If you like strong lager, you might like this. If you don’t like lager, you probably won’t like it. If you want to get drink quickly and cheaply, you’ll put up with it. In addition to my rating, I also award Super Skol two and a half ASBO points.

Rating: 2.9

Have you tried Super Skol? Or any other strong lagers? What did you think?
And what do you want me to review next?
Comments below please…

Update:

A huge thanks to all the readers and commenter’s who’ve made this ‘review’ one of the most popular on my blog. Your comments are brilliant. That’s why I’ve come back nearly two years later to update it, and the other super popular super strength lager reviews with some new photos.

While I had all the 9%er cans handy, it made sense to try them all again. Only this time with the benefit of having read all of your comments beforehand. Incidentally, I’ve done the same for the other 9%-ers. Check my updates for them after you’ve finished reading this.

This time, I made sure that the can was very cold. And to drink it straight from the can to avoid accidentally smelling it. That’s why I haven’t updated the photo of it in a glass. I was also watching out for it tasting worse as you go on, while it warms up in your hand.

How did it taste this time around? Almost as bad as it did originally. Sure, the cold helps. But it’s still incredibly strong tasting. Like the other 9%-ers, it contains syrup. Yet it’s still not as sweet or balanced as they are. Does this mean it has less syrup than the others? Possibly. The taste was a long malted barley finish. Like a normal lager, but bigger. Maybe a Carlsberg response to Crest Super. It definitely seemed less syrupy, less refreshing and less drinkable than the competition.

Against the other four 9%-ers, I rank it fourth. The worst of a bad bunch. Think about that for a second. How bad does a beer need to be for Carlsberg Special Brew, Tennent’s Super and Kestrel Super to be better?

What do you think? How else can you make it taste better? Or less horrible? Add your comment now!

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34 Responses to “Beer Review: Skol Super strong lager”

I have never tried the super strong lager version but I have tried the infamous plain skol lager 4 pack from asda. The can cost 23p and let me tell you it’s not that bad at all, it tastes very much like the other poor quality beers like Fosters if not just slight more watery but for that price all of us in my house are loving it!

Superskol is actualy quite nice .. i used t drink it in the morning or at night .. 8 cans and you are well done🙂 .. fukin dodgy taste thoo when its warm .. would not advise to drink it when on anything else but beer cos u will have a bad time lol

I think youre right when you awarded the skol super 2 ‘ASBO’ points
It is probably one of the easiest ways to get into trouble.
I can drink smirmoff by the bottle but on 6- 12 skols- I end up in bother- it’s as though there’s a hidden ingredient pushing the alcohol to the brain.
However- the after taste is because you poured the whole can in.
If you drank out of the can and left the last half inch- just like you would on a cigarette-(the dreggs) you wouldn’t have an aftertaste that was bad.
When chilled to the point of being really cold it’s a really nice drink.
If you’re a piss head- try it with 2 ice cubes in a glass- the water helps the alcohol get to you quicker and even the dreggs at the bottom will remain cold.

Gary, this is an advirtisment 4 the dam poison, wot u say can relate BUT and there is always one DANGER, once one knows what it s all about SIMPLE TINGS- STAY AWAY from the 9 per cent , have yet to see a positive outcome unless one is LOST in it all SO to everone LIFE IS TOO SHORT to be deluded! cold say a lot more but don t think it s appropriate on this page !!!!!

Gary: HAHAHA. Why don’t people understand this? Like you, I can put away an entire bottle of Vodka and be relatively normal. Six of these will messss me up good.

It’s partly how fast you drink it. I pay vodka more respect and don’t drink it as fast (usually). But that’s not all it is, there really is something different about both cheap cider and lager, they get you more wasted than the Vodka. I even tried watering the Vodka down once with fizzy water so it was essentially 9% water, with air bubbles and drank it like special brew. Doesn’t get me as mashed. Science is missing something out.

And to add to my alcoholics observations, red wine gets me way out of proportion smashed for it’s units and has a tendency to leave me emotional. Again, the drinks aren’t simply alcohol the food stuffs that form it have an effect.

How much the price of this product 10% alc. in 500ml Can and The packaging 24 Can in the carton box. give me please for export price. I wauld like to import . please provide me do you know over 10% alcohol brewery in can 500ml.

ive been drinking four cans a day for the last 25 years its done me no harm apart from blind in one eye and two arrests …….. oh and i always smoke with the cans as well one goes with the other dont it?….. i retire this year [65] …. guess what my plans are …

I have been an alcoholic and I now know my limits, I have a drink from time to time and drink of choice is SKOL SUPER. firstly for the ABV yes but secondly after being a high strength ale drinker for years the taste is rather pleasant in comparison to triple IPA or Old Bob! I drink in moderation and certainly no more than 4 cans, what other drink can you reach desired level of drunkedness on for a fiver? It may be tramp juice but not everyone who drinks it is one! I have high powered job and have have 7 kids to be a daddy to, yet once a month letting my hair down on this stuff helps me and my wallet! Alcoholics will always bring down the name down of any product that serves it purpose for them but seriously I love the stuff and I couldn’t live without it.